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SCP-2981 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-2981
Expected annual
$85K
One-time setup
$164K
Annual recurring
$80K
Personnel
3
One-time setup and equipment purchases are moderate (~$164k including a recommended $100k emergency reserve); recurring annual costs are primarily research, consumables, and personnel (~$80k/yr). Main drivers: research budget, consumable disposal & PPE, and the recommended contingency reserve.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $164K
Emergency Contingency Reserve $100K
[#17] Recommended emergency/reserve fund (one-time set-aside) of $100,000 to cover potential spread/large containment incidents.
Equipment $36K
[#1, #2, #3, #5, #9, #19] Freezer purchase & install $6,000; custom 316L containment vessel $10,000 (mid); benchtop glovebox $11,500 (mid); CCTV/sensors one-time integration $4,500 (mid); reusable PPE initial purchase $750 (mid); secure VM/air-gapped drive one-time $3,000.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $18K
[#14] Diagnostic / investigative equipment (EEG rigs, spectrometer access, balances) estimated $17,500 (mid-range).
Facilities $8K
[#4, #15] Containment-area retrofit / small airlock, pass-through door & locks ($7,000 mid-range) plus site signage & policy rollout ($1,000).
Personnel Training And Onboarding $3K
[#12] Initial memetic-awareness training module $2,000 and baseline screening/onboarding for initial staff $800 (one-time).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $80K/yr
Research And Monitoring $40K/yr
[#13] Ongoing research/testing budget (moderate active program; mid-range choice) $40,000/yr for controlled studies, sample analysis, small instrumentation, and scientist time.
Supplies And Consumables $10K/yr
[#6, #7, #8, #9, #20] Mashed-potato replacements (in-house) $1,365/yr; waste disposal/autoclave/incineration ~$3,413/yr (mid); cleaning supplies ~$682/yr; disposable PPE ~$2,730/yr; miscellaneous small parts/spares ~$2,000/yr.
Cover Story And Legal $10K/yr
[#15, #16, #18] Administrative/cover maintenance and clerical documentation ~$2,000/yr; external procurement/legal/front-company costs ~$6,000/yr (mid); payroll friction/food accommodations for potato ban ~$2,000/yr.
Staff Wages $10K/yr
[#10, #11] Technician labor 182 hours/yr @ fully loaded $35/hr = $6,370; security operative escort 91 hrs/yr @ $35/hr = $3,185. These sums cover scheduled maintenance/cleaning operations and required security presence.
Psychological Monitoring $7K/yr
[#12] Ongoing psychological checks $2,400/yr plus contingency therapy budget $5,000/yr.
Facilities Maintenance $2K/yr
[#1, #15] Freezer incremental electricity ~$600/yr; site-wing audits and enforcement checks ~$1,500/yr.
Monitoring Storage $500/yr
[#5] Camera/network/storage recurring costs for video and sensor logs ~$500/yr.
It Maintenance $500/yr
[#19] Recurring maintenance/patching/backups for secure VM/air-gapped storage ~$500/yr.
Logistics And Transport $0/yr
[]
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $80K/yr
92.0% probability / year
Normal year with scheduled replacements, routine research, and no containment incidents.
regular_maintenance routine_research no_spread_incident
🚨 Minor Incident $92K/yr
5.0% probability / year +$12K vs baseline
Small containment lapse or limited spread requiring extra disposals, overtime, and temporary increased monitoring.
localized_spread_to_adjacent_potatoes extra_incineration_cycles staff_overtime
🚨 Major Breach $230K/yr
1.0% probability / year +$150K vs baseline
Significant spread within a site wing requiring quarantine, mass incineration/autoclave, emergency cold storage, and heavy overtime/cover operations.
uncontrolled_spread multiple_contaminated_shipments site_quarantine
🚨 Research Breakthrough Requiring Scale Up $230K/yr
2.0% probability / year +$150K vs baseline
Discovery necessitates accelerated research and hardware purchases (robotic manipulators, additional instruments) and expanded lab capacity.
significant_research_progress need_for_automation expanded_testing
👥 Personnel 3 total
Role Count Notes
Technician / Lab Operator 2 [#10] Two trained technicians perform each replacement/cleaning operation (182 technician-hours/yr accounted for in staff_wages).
Security Officer / MTF Agent 1 [#11] One security operative escorts/oversees manipulations per operation (91 hrs/yr accounted for in staff_wages).
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide detailed line-item estimates and ranges, allowing a reasoned mid-range budgeting; uncertainty remains around research scope, frequency/severity of spread incidents, and choices (e.g., robotic automation) so confidence is medium.
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